Fired pandemic data manager, fierce critic of Florida's governor, decides not to run for Congress

GAINESVILLE – Rebekah Jones, the former Florida health department employee who filed a whistleblower lawsuit accusing political leaders of firing her in a dispute over the state’s pandemic numbers, has decided not to run for Congress next year, she said.

Jones said in an interview she did not feel safe enough to run in Florida – where she faces an upcoming felony hacking trial – and did not feel prepared enough to run in Maryland, where she now lives with her family.

Jones also said she is working on an upcoming book and documentary, and this week she tweeted that she intends to finish work on her doctoral degree. “I should be done by spring 2023,” she wrote.

Jones has an ardent public following and a demonstrated ability to raise money from supporters, with more than 400,000 followers on Twitter and regularly has appeared on cable television to criticize Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Over seven months, Jones raised more than $562,000 from supporters to pay her legal costs and expenses associated with publishing pandemic data on her own website.

Read more: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-rebekah-jones-congress-not-running-20210521-tks63f75pfgodlkswu4iwvukwa-story.html